Liver bile pouch



Dec. 3,' 1957 L. FENTQN ET AL LIVER BILE POUCH Filed Feb. 16, 1956 5mazf n d m m Gm Wm M s W ea United States Patent M LIVER BHLE POUCHLeonard Eenton. and" Jane S-. Geller, Shaker: Heights, Ohio; said Gellerassignor to said Fenton Application February 16, 1956, Serial NO- 6,944

5 Claims. (Cl. 128-275) This invention relatesv to receptacles orpouches forcollecting drainage of liver bile discharge. from. theconventional T-tube which protrudes from the abdomenand. communicateswith the common duct following operations on; the biliary tract. In the.course. of operations on the biliary tract (on or about the gall bladderand ducts. between. the liver andtlie intestines) a Ff-tube has itscross arm or short arm. disposed in. the common duct connecting theliver to the intestines, as a stent, and the long arm of the T-tubeprojects through an incision in the wall of the common duct; and outthrough an incision in the. abdomen to provide a drainage outlet forexcess. quantities of bile during the immediate post+operative period.In addition, the Tt-tube serves to provide an opening forinjectionof'dye into the biliary tract in connection With-.X-ray examinations andfor injection of medication to dissolve residual stones that: may nothave been removed from the biliary tract during an operation for thatpurpose.

Observation. of the quantity of drainage from the T- tube is importantin determining the condition and rate of recovery of the patientfollowing such operations, and drainage from the long arm of the T-tubehas heretofore been conducted through a flexible connecting tube ofrubber or the like, to a bottle. The use. of. such means for: collectingdrainage from the long arm. of the T tube is an inconvenience to thepatient, both while still confined in bed and after he is able to walkabout in the hospital prior to final removal of the T-tube. Theprincipal object of the present. invention is to provide a moreconvenient and satisfactory receptacle for collecting drainage from thelong arm of the Ii-tube, both during and following the period. ofconfinement of the patient to bed in the hospital.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an expandablereceptacle or pouch capable of receiving drainage from the long arm ofthe T-tube without creating a back pressure, and capable of beingconveniently strapped to the body of the patient by means of a simplebelt or tape on the patients waist, thereby dispensing with theinconvenient bottle heretofore used for that purpose and giving thepatient more freedom of movement while in bed and enabling him to walkabout thereafter without having to carry the bottle.

Further objects of the invention are to accomplish the foregoingobjectives with a pouch of simple and inexpensive construction and toprovide such a pouch having an inlet opening adapted to be convenientlyconnected to and removed from the long arm of the T-tube without dangerof accidental disconnection or of blocking the pouch inlet by collapsingof the inlet opening as the patient moves his body while wearing thepouch.

An example of the invention is described below and in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan View of a device embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Figure l.

2,815,,fi25 Patented Dec. 3, 1957 Eigure 3 is a fragmentary section onan enlarged scale taken on line 3-3 in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section taken on line 4-.-4. in; Figure 3-.

The device comprises a flat receptacle or pouch 10.

of: oblong shape, the diametrically opposite corners of this pouch whichare indicated at 11 and 12 being provided respectively with inlet andoutlet means. The pouch-is fabricated from a suitable flexible,heat-scalable plastic. Open-ended necks. 13 and 14 are formed at thecorners 11 and 12: respectively. Except at the open ends, of thesenecks, the opposite faces of the pouch 10 are seamed together around allside edges by the heat seals 15.

The inlet means. includes a tube 17 which terminates at one endexteriorly of the pouch and at the other end interiorly of the pouch.The tube 17 extends, as shown, through. the neck 13 and further extendsadjacent that side edge: of the pouch which is associated with the;corner 11; The tube is held in such adjacent position by a supplementaryheat seal 18. The portion 15A of the; heat seal 15 is apposite the tube17, and preferably both. this portion 15A and the heat seal 18 extendto. the very sides of the tube 17 along. a considerable length thereofto assure that no leakage can occur around the sides of the tube. TheT-tube 20 to be employed with the. device. may have a short plastic tube21 inserted in its long arm. The end of the tube 211 which extends awayfrom the T-tube 20. may be of reduced diameter and. be. adapted to besnugly but releasably received within the tube 17;

The outlet means may consist of merely the outlet neck 14::which. may bereversely folded and closed by means of a conventional spring clip 23.

At least one face of the pouch 10. is provided with a plurality of shortstraps 25 which are heat sealed at their ends to the pouch. One of thestraps 25 is located adjacent the corner 11, another of the straps 25 islocated towarclthe opposite side edge of the pouch slightly below thelevel of the first strap, and a third strap 25 is located between theside edges of the pouch and well below the first strap. The straps 25are designed to receive belts or tapes, such as the belt 26, forsupporting the pouch 10 onthe body of the patient, and the arrangementof the straps as described facilitates convenient and. easy mounting ofthe. pouch in the positions which the functions ofthe. device makedesirable.

The. describeddevice isof simple and inexpensive construction, yet it'isadmirably suited to its intended functions. The pouch provides arelatively neat and comfortable arrangement for the patient and it isconveniently portable. As the pouch fills with liquid, it gentlyexpands, avoiding any back pressure which might inhibit proper drainage.With the tube 17 firmly anchored or or supported against one edge of thepouch, as described, yawing or play of the tube is prevented, and thesnug fit of the tube 21 within the tube 17 remains firm and secure untilit is intentionally loosened to disconnect the pouch from the T-tube.The tube 17 may be made of flexible plastic, yet rigid enough to avoidcollapsing when bent at a considerable angle. The smooth inner and outersurfaces of the pouch and associated tubular members are readilycleaned; in particular, the bottom of the pouch is devoid of anysediment-catching crevices. Though designed particularly for the purposedescribed above, the device of the invention is adapted for advantageoususe to collect the drainage of other body fluids, and the invention isnot limited to its use for the particular purpose described.

All the precise details of the example of the invention described aboveare not necessarily of critical importance in attaining the advantageousresults of the invention,

Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited to all suchdetails but is defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for collecting drainage from the biliary tract, comprisingan oblong flat expandable liquid-tight pouch defined by a pair ofoverlying coterminous faces of flexible web material heat sealed to eachother along their edges, said pouch having a first open-ended neckextending longitudinally from a first corner thereof adjacent a firstedge thereof, and a second open-ended neck extending longitudinally froma second corner thereof which is diametrically opposite said firstcorner and in substantial alignment with the interior boundary of thepouch along the opposite. edge thereof, a pouch tube extending throughsaid first neck and longitudinally into the pouch adjacent said firstedge thereof, said neck being heat sealed against the outside of saidtube, means to releasably couple a T-tube to said pouch tube, and meansto releasably close said second neck.

2. A device for collecting drainage from the biliary tract, comprisingan oblong flat expandable liquid-tight pouch defined by a pair ofoverlying coterminous faces of flexible web material heat sealed to eachother along their edges, said pouch having a first open-ended neckextending longitudinally from a first corner thereof adjacent a firstedge thereof, and a second open-ended neck extending longitudinally froma second corner thereof which is diametriaclly opposite said firstcorner and in substantial alignment with the interior boundary of thepouch along the opposite edge thereof, a pouch extending through saidfirst neck, said neck being heat sealed against the outside of saidtube, said pouch tube extending from the open end of said first neck andlongitudinally into the interior of said pouch in adjacency to saidfirst edge of the pouch, said faces being heat sealed to each other at alocation adjacent said tube and on the opposite side of said tube fromsaid first edge to maintain said adjacency, means to releasably couple aT-tube to said pouch tube, and means to releasably close said secondneck.

3. A device for collecting drainage from the biliary tract, comprisingan oblong flat expandable liquid-tight pouch defined by a pair ofoverlying coterminous faces of flexible web material heat sealed to eachother along their edges, said pouch having a first open-ended neckextending longitudinally from a first corner thereof and a secondopen-ended neck extending longitudinally from a second corner thereofwhich is diametrically opposite said first corner, a pouch tubeextending through said first neck, said neck being heat sealed againstthe outside of said tube, a plurality of short straps heat sealed atboth their ends to the outside of one of said faces at spaced locationsfrom each other, at least one of said straps being located adjacent saidfirst corner, means to releasably couple a T-tube to said pouch tube,and means to releasably close said second neck.

4. A device for collecting drainage from the biliary tract, comprisingan oblong flat expandable liquid-tight pouch defined by a pair ofoverlying coterminous faces of flexible Web material heat sealed to eachother along their edges, said pouch having a first open-ended neckextending longitudinally from a first corner thereof and a secondopen-ended neck extending longitudinally from a second corner thereofwhich is diametrically opposite said first corner, a pouch tubeextending through said first neck, said neck being heat sealed againstthe outside of said tube, said pouch tube extending from the open end ofsaid first neck to the interior of said pouch in ad jacency to the sideedge of said pouch associated with said first neck, said faces beingheat sealed to each other at a location adjacent said tube and on theopposite side of said tube from said side edge to maintain saidadjacency, a plurality of short straps heat sealed at both their ends tothe outside of one of said faces at spaced locations from each other, atleast one of said straps being located adjacent said first corner, meansto releasably couple a T-tube to said pouch tube, and means toreleasably close said second neck.

5. A device for collecting drainage from the biliary tract, comprising agenerally rectangular flat expandable liquid-tight pouch defined by apair of overlying coterminous faces of flexible Web material heat sealedto each other along their edges, said pouch having a first open-endedneck extending from a first corner thereof adjacent a first edgethereof, and a second open-ended neck extending from a second cornerthereof which is diametrically opposite said first corner and insubstantial alignment with the interior boundary of the pouch along theopposite edge thereof, flow confining means associated with said firstneck for releasable coupling to a T-tube, said flow confining meanscommunicating with the interior of said pouch through said first neckfor receiving fluid from said T-tube and discharging it into said pouchat a location closely adjacent said first edge thereof and relativelymuch farther from said opposite edge thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 35,338Vedder May 20, 1862 2,612,895 Magee Oct. 7, 1952 2,640,484 Johnson June2, 1953 2,702,034 Walter Feb. 15, 1955

